An Iberian-themed bar in Liverpool city centre, BoBo, hires wine expert Laura Griffiths as its new ‘wine ambassador’. Tony McDonough reports

Wine expert Laura Griffiths has joined the team at Liverpool city centre bar BoBo to support its regular wine club events.

Iberian-themed BoBo is located in Castle Street. Steven Burgess of Lucky Penny Group, which operates BoBo, says their aim is to make wine “as comprehensible as possible”. They want to dispel the sometimes elitist perception of wine bars.

“BoBo’s monthly wine club is all about taking the stuffiness out of ordering,” he explained. “And it’s gone down really well, attracting people from all age groups. Mums, dads, grandparents and 20 plus year-olds are all sharing tables and joining in the fun.

Laura Griffiths operates wine and language service Lingo Vino. At BoBo she will be helping people master the art of choosing “delicious, unusual and affordable” wines.

She is a qualified Spanish and French tutor and has wine qualifications. She also has extensive experience working for a leading high street wine retailer. Laura spends several months of the year touring vineyards, especially in Spain, sampling the best new wines coming to market.

She said: “It can be a daunting task ordering a bottle of wine for your table and we want to make this far more enjoyable for everyone, because wine tasting is a really exhilarating adventure.

“At our tastings we want our guests to understand the language of wine and have some guaranteed fun that will make everyone feel like they are actually in Spain or Portugal while introducing them to some exhilarating new wines.

“Wines from the Iberian peninsula are so exciting and varied from fresh and vibrant white Albariño wines to classic reds such as Rioja Reservas, from hidden gems of the Balearic Islands to the fortified wines of Portugal.

“As well as loving the wines, I am also a huge fan of the culture behind winemaking techniques, the language, their approach to drinking wine and the cuisine which pairs tremendously with the drink.”

BoBo’s next Wine Club is on Thursday, July 7 at 7pm. It offers a welcome glass of sparkling wine, six wines from across Spain, Portugal and beyond, light nibbles and “something special” at the end. It lasts around two hours and costs £30 per person. Click here to book.

Steven Burgess added: “We are really excited to bring Laura on board, she will be a great addition to our team and she shares our desire to make wine fun and approachable. Her expertise and bubbly personality are a perfect match for what we are trying to do.”